Signature types compared

actaSIGN knows several ways to sign. They differ in how certain it is who signed, and in what the person needs for it.

Type	Code	What the person needs	Evidential value (as actaSIGN describes it)
Simple electronic signature (SES)	SES	only the e-mail with the link	low, no formal requirement
Advanced electronic signature (AES)	AES	a phone for a code by SMS	substantial, no formal requirement
Advanced electronic signature CH (AES CH)	AES CH	Swiss mobile number (+41); confirmation at Swisscom with password and SMS code	advanced signature under Swiss law, with a certificate in the person’s own name
Qualified electronic signature (QES-CH)	QES-CH	verified identity and the Mobile ID app	highest; legally equal to a handwritten signature (Switzerland, ZertES)
Qualified electronic signature (QES-EU)	QES-EU	verified identity and the Mobile ID app	highest; legally equal to a handwritten signature (EU/EEA, eIDAS)
Organization seal	Seal	a seal that the administration has set up and assigned	advanced electronic seal of the organization, not of a person

There are also tasks without a signature: Approval (no signature) and Information only.

Which one to choose?

SES for internal processes, confirmations and contracts without formal requirements, where simple proof is enough.
AES or AES CH if it must be clear who signed, but the law does not require a specific form.
QES-CH or QES-EU if the law requires written form, that is, a handwritten signature. Choose the jurisdiction in which the contract applies.
Seal if the organization as a whole confirms a document, e.g. an automatically created certificate.

You enter the mobile number for AES and QES with the recipient, or the person has it in their profile.
Your organization only offers AES CH if the administration turns it on.
In the profile, Show signature quality shows the type in the signature field.